After a year and a half as a Service Delivery Technician, Floris Van der Krieken has taken on a new role at LCL as IT Engineer. This new role fits within LCL’s broader ambition to anchor IT expertise more firmly in-house. We spoke with Floris about his new responsibilities, the road to IT, and what he’s most looking forward to.

For those who don’t know you yet: who are you and what do you do at LCL?

"I'm Floris and I’ve been working at LCL for a little over a year and a half. I recently made the switch from Service Delivery Technician to IT Engineer. My workplace is still the same, but the content of my job has changed significantly."

How did that career switch come about?

"I studied IT and also worked in the sector for quite some time as a freelancer. Still, I started at LCL in a different role. In my first week, our IT Systems Manager, Sam Berckmans, already asked me: ‘Wouldn’t you like to join the IT team?’ That question stuck with me. He brought it up a few more times, and when he asked again at just the right moment, I decided to take the leap. I wasn’t actively looking for an internal switch, but I’m glad the opportunity came my way."

Was that switch connected to the rollout of the new IT department?

"Yes and no. There’s a lot of work within IT; I noticed that quickly. Sam used to handle most of it himself, with support from a few external partners. Now we can bring more of that work in-house."

What’s the biggest difference compared to your previous role?

"The biggest change is that I now spend much more time at my desk and less on the data center floor, although I still go there regularly. I’m now responsible for the entire network, office IT, monitoring tools and network software across all five sites. I also serve as back-up for access control and camera systems when needed."

What draws you to IT?

"I’m very solution oriented and I genuinely enjoy solving problems. And in IT, those problems tend to be a bit more complex, which makes it even more interesting. What gives me extra satisfaction is not just fixing something, but also improving the process behind it for the future. And of course, it helps that Sam and Yannick are great colleagues to work with."

How were your first days in the new role?

"I hit the ground running: on my first day I drove to LCL Wallonia One to adjust the power supply for some cameras. So no slow start there. I can already tell I’ll be working closely with the Projects team and the Operations team as well; the first emails are already flying back and forth."

Did you also work closely with other teams in your previous role?

"Definitely. In my previous role, I was already in contact with a lot of different teams. I often became the go-to person for all sorts of projects where people would say, ‘Ask Floris.’ For someone who enjoys challenges, that’s fun for a while. But it became a bit much. Now there’s a clearer boundary: if it’s not IT-related, it doesn’t land on my desk. That helps me stay focused on IT matter for all LCL colleagues."

What are you most looking forward to in this role?

"There’s a lot of work and some of the projects are quite complex, that motivates me. The idea of streamlining, automating and documenting processes really appeals to me. I like making things simpler and more efficient."

Do you see a role for AI in that?

"Possibly in the future. But not every problem requires an AI solution. Our network is fairly straightforward at its core; the challenge lies in managing it across five different locations."

Finally: what’s something typically 'Floris' that we might not know about you?

"I recently got back into inline skating. I used to compete in speed skating but stopped a few years ago. Now I’ve picked it back up, and it’s like riding a bike: it comes back quickly. Just yesterday I skated 28 kilometres along the canal. Great with the wind at your back… a bit less fun against it."